May 10, 2004

In the coming months, several movies will feature humanoid mechanisms: androids in “I, Robot”; simulacra of suburban homemakers in “The Stepford Wives”; an army of giant robots in “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”; and Dr. Frankenstein’s monster revived in “Van Helsing.”

But artificial entities no longer trouble us. After years of intensive media therapy, our Frankenstein complex seems to have been resolved. A fairly significant segment of… read more

May 10, 2004

A consensus now believes that Google has about 100,000 servers, aggregated into one giant supercomputer organized by a sophisticated proprietary file system that holds all of the Web and performs seamlessly.

Also see “How many Google machines,” which estimates Google’s supercomputer performance at between 126 and 316 teraflops, making it by far the fastest supercomputer in the world, based on the Top500 list. – Ed.

May 7, 2004

University of California, Santa Cruz, researchers have found more than 480 “ultraconserved” regions of “junk” DNA that are completely identical across the man, mouse and rat species, implying that they are essential to the descendants of these organisms. The regions largely match up with chicken, dog and fish sequences too.

The most likely scenario is that they control the activity of indispensable genes. The sequences may help slice and… read more

May 7, 2004

Adidas is developing the runnning shoe that adjusts in real time to changing conditions and the runner’s particular style while in use.

Each second, a sensor in the heel can take up to 20,000 readings and the embedded electronic brain can make 10,000 calculations, directing a tiny electric motor to optimize the shoe’s cushioning compression to minimize impacts on the knee.

May 6, 2004

A microscopic biped with legs just 10 nanometers long and fashioned from fragments of DNA has taken its first steps.

The nanowalker is being hailed as a major breakthrough by nanotechnologists, since for nanoscale manufacturing to become a realistic prospect, mobile microscopic robots will be needed to assemble other nanomachines and move useful molecules and atoms around.

May 6, 2004

In May 2003, The Harvard Business Review published a conversial article by a former editor, Nicholas G. Carr, titled “IT Doesn’t Matter.” Industry chief executives voiced rebuttals.

Mr. Carr has replied to his critics with a new book, “Does IT Matter?” His basic point: At one time, information technology was so expensive and so difficult to manage that companies could make large amounts of money simply by being able… read more

May 6, 2004

The debate over embryonic stem-cell research is re-emerging as an election issue as advocates for patients, including Nancy Reagan and 206 members of the House, press the president to loosen the limits on federal financing for the science.

May 6, 2004

Five design giants build the imaginary supergadgets of 2014:

The Charm Bracelet is a flexible, foldable gizmo that includes a screen, a microphone, a multipurpose camera, a biometric thumbprint scanner, and a tactile control panel, letting you access data from any convenient device.

[EYE]D is a workout tool that analyzes everything from vital signs to body movement and makes adjustment suggestions in real time. This information